Can you recall a mobile game before 2016 that had to be played by moving around physically? The innovative concept of Pokémon GO required players to go out to find and catch new Pokémon.

Different types of Pokémon were available in various places all over the world. For instance, water-type Pokémon are more likely to be found near water. And if you are a true Pokémon fan, you “gotta catch ‘em all,” right?

But how can you possibly visit every place that has Pokémon? With a GPS spoof, you can catch Pokémon in areas without physically going there.

Today, we have a fun and informative guide that will tell you everything you need to know about spoofing Pokémon GO on your mobile device.

What is the Need for Spoofing Pokémon GO?

Let’s elaborate on the need to spoof Pokémon GO. You can look at players’ motivation to spoof the game from two perspectives – types & location of Pokémon and special events.

Types and Location of Pokémon

Niantic developed and published the game in collaboration with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. At the time of its launch, the game featured 150 species of Pokémon. That number has exceeded 480 today, which shows the exceptional diversity of the fan-favorite characters.

If you have played Pokémon GO, you know that as you move around in the real world, your avatar in the game interface follows. You can see a virtual rendition of your real-world surroundings on the map in the game. What you should be looking for are PokeStops and Pokémon Gyms.

You can equip each PokeStop with “Lure Modules” to lure more wild and rare Pokémon species to that area. A Pokémon Gym lets you train and battle your Pokémon and hone your skills as a Pokémon master. You are more likely to find Pokestops and Gyms at places of interest. So if you live in a rural area with low footfall, the chances of you finding these are slim!

There are several types of Pokémon, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Players should aim to own a diverse Pokedex, with at least one Pokémon of each type. This would allow them to win more battles by using a specific type that does more damage to the opponent type. For instance, water-type Pokémon are twice as effective against fire-type Pokémon.

If you want to catch a legendary Pokémon, you have to participate in a raid event, where you would team up with other players to beat that legendary Pokémon. These events take place in a gym that is home to a legendary Pokémon. You can identify those gyms quickly as they would have an egg above them. Legendary Pokémon are available only for a limited time.

Special Events

Pokémon GO has held various live and in-game events over the years. Whether it is an anniversary event or a “Safari Zone,” players can:

Unlock rare or exclusive content by participating in an in-game event, or

Meet other players and indulge in activities by participating in a live event.

While spoofing the GPS on your phone will not physically take you to a live event, it can help you gain access to region-specific in-game events. Players can catch new and rare Pokémon during these limited-time events.

Sometimes, these events are used to create buzz for upcoming updates or new content. You probably remember the addition of detective-hat-wearing Pikachus to the game to promote the Detective Pikachu movie.

Pokémon GO Community Days occur almost every month to promote gameplay. They are global events accessible by players, irrespective of their specific location or progress in the game. You can expect a certain Pokémon to appear in all parks and lawns or special and rare items may be found at PokeStops on a specific community day.

What Happens When You Spoof GPS?

When you spoof the GPS of your mobile device, Pokémon GO thinks you have moved to the new location. You can gain access to new Pokémon species, PokeStops, Pokémon Gyms, and special events available at that new location.

As long as you do not abuse this spoofing hack, you have nothing to worry about. But if you are reckless and try to spoof your GPS to access locations all over the world, you are likely to show up on Niantic’s radar. If that happens, you may either receive a warning or be banned from the game.

Be realistic and smart with your spoofing. For starters, we recommend using fake locations that are not on another continent. You can use areas that you have physically visited in the past. But let’s face it, you run the risk of being banned if you go wrong with spoofing!

How to Spoof?

Now that we have addressed the “Why?” and the “What if?”, it is time to understand the “How?”

For simplicity, we have divided this information into two parts – for Android devices and iOS devices. Like many other things, spoofing GPS on an Android device is more straightforward than it is on an iOS device.

Android Devices

There are two prerequisites to spoofing GPS on an Android device – developer options should be enabled, and a third-party app needs to be installed.

If your device is powered by Android 4.1 or older, developer mode will be enabled automatically. Otherwise, you will have to enable it manually. For Android 8.0 and newer versions, go to Settings, select “System settings,” go to “About Phone,” and tap “Build number” seven times.

Download and install a GPS spoofing third-party app. We recommend FakeGPS. Open the app and select “Enable Mock Locations.” You will be redirected to Developer options, where you have to tap on “Select mock location app” and then choose FakeGPS. Press the back button to return to the FakeGPS interface.

In the search bar, enter the location you want to spoof to. You may drop a pin on the map by double-tapping anywhere. Tap on “play” to enable the fake GPS location. If you’re successful, you will see a message that reads “Fake location engaged.” Open Pokémon GO, and you should move to the spoof location.

To go back to your real location, tap on the “Stop” button in the FakeGPS interface.

iOS Devices

Apple users know that an iPhone is more secure than Android devices. You cannot spoof the GPS location on an iPhone unless you have what we call a jailbroken iPhone.

But why can’t you spoof GPS on a regular iOS device? Because you cannot download a third-party app that is not available on the Apple store. So you have to download a modified or unofficial Pokémon GO app that would allow instant GPS spoofing. This app would not be an authorized version of the game, and you may get banned by Niantic.

Now, we know that jailbreaking an Apple product essentially voids the warranty, so we strongly advise against doing so.

If you want a safer route that does not require your iPhone to be jailbroken, you can use an app like iTools on your PC. It is offered by ThinkSky and is available for both Windows and Mac devices.

Install iTools on your PC and connect your iPhone to it using a USB cable. Select the “Toolbox” in the iTools interface and click on “Virtual Location.” A map will appear, and you will need to enter the fake location at the top and hit enter. Click on “Move here” to go to that location on your connected iPhone.

Open Pokémon GO and verify that your in-game location has been spoofed. If you want to go back to your real location, reboot your iPhone. If you have any trouble in this process, you can get help here.

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some troubleshooting tips (for Android users) to help you with the GPS spoofing process:

Our spoofing technique works for most Android devices but may not work for some. In that case, you can either uninstall Google Play Services from your mobile and install an older version (that allows GPS spoofing) or root your mobile.

If you are not redirected to developer setting after clicking on “Enable Mock Locations,” you have to enable developer options manually. This can be done by accessing the developer settings from the FakeGPS menu.

If the fake location is not activated, you can change the settings in the FakeGPS app or switch to an older version of Google Play Services on your mobile.

Do not change your location frequently or unrealistically unless you want to be permanently banned from the game.

Final Words

Pokémon GO is the highest-grossing media franchise and the second best selling video game franchise in the world. The popularity of Pokémon GO knows no bounds, and it enjoys well over 100 million active monthly users today.

If your progress in the game has been struck by a standstill, you may consider spoofing the GPS on your mobile to overcome that hurdle. We hope our guide helps you on that quest!